Auxiliary-percussive-instrument attachment for self-playing musical instruments.



A.-M. STEINERT. AUXILIARY PERCUSSIVE INSTRUMENT ATTACHMENT FOR SELF PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I9. 1916.

1,217,359. Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

, A'. M. STEINERT. AUXILIARY PERCUSSIVE INSTRUMENT ATTACHMENT FOR SELF PLAYING MUSICAL-INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED FE B.19, 1916- 3 M, m w [m MM, m M 9 "m 5 3, w N 2 12L UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT M. STEINERT, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 27, 1917'.

Application filed February 19, 1916. Serial No. 79,310.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, ALBERT M. STnrNnn'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence.

and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Auxiliary Percussive Instrument Attachments for Self-Playing Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electrical attachments for a musical instrument, such as pianos, which include in circuit auxiliary musical instruments which act as an accompaniment to the piano or player instrument.

The essential objects of my invention are to vary the power ofthe auxiliary instruments, that is to operate them more or less loudly as may be required, whereby a crescendo and diminuendo effect is secured; to entirely silence the auxiliary instruments at will; and to attain these objects in a simple and easily operable structure.

The novelty resides in the particular construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and then particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a tracker mechanism and the upper portion of a piano player and a diagram of the electrical. portions of my invention,

Fig. 2, an enlarged detail view of the contacts and associated parts,

Fig. 3, a top plan view thereof,

Fig. 4, a detail view of the contacts engaged with thetracker bar,

Fig. 5, a like view of the contacts out of engagement,

Fig. 6, a front elevation of, a portion of the note sheet with the contacts applied thereto,

Fig. 7, a sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 6,

Fig. 8, a like view showing the manner in which the contacts are attached, and

Fig. 9, a detail view of the magnet employed to beat the bass drum.

Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the views.

My invention, in the present instance is shown in connection with a player piano, of which 1 is the casing, 2 the keys, 3 the tracker frame, the tracker bar, 5 the note sheets, and 6 and 7 the note sheet rolls, the tracker bar being of metal or other electrically conductive material.

Clamped to one side of the tracker frame 3 by means of the set screw 9 is a block 10, and pivoted to said block by the pivot pin 11 1s a pair of blocks 12 of insulating material, the block 10 being preferably bifurcated at l-ft, and the pivot pin 11 passing through alined perforations 15 in the bifurcated end of the block 10.

Secured to the outer end 17 of the block 10 IS a spring 18 which spring extends around the block 10 to the inner end thereof and engages the pivoted blocks 12 for a purpose hereinafter set forth. In the present instance I have chosen to show two of such springs, as seen in Figs. 2 and G, which, in practice may be found preferable.

The free ends of the blocks 12 are provided with holes 21 (Fig. 8), and secured therein by the set screws 22 are forwardly projecting arms 23, said arms being adapted to extend over the note sheet in its passage over the tracker bar a.

Suitably secured to the outer end of each of the forwardly projecting arms 23 is an arm 25 which extends in a plane at right angles thereto, and has on the free end thereof a contact 26, in the present instance rotatably mounted. One of'the arms 23, the upper arm, is longer than the other for the purpose of maintaining the contacts 26 out of alinement.

The usual roll reversing mechanism comprises the shafts 28 and 29 of the rolls 6 and 7 respectively, and the reversing shaft 81, carrying wheel 32 driven through chain 33 from wheel 34 on the power shaft 35. Wheels 37 and 38 on shafts 29 and 31 respectively are connected by a chain 40. The numerals l1 and 12 represent the connected slidable pinion and clutch sleeve respectively on the shaft 31. The sleeve cooperates with teeth t3 on wheel 38; and the pinion, when shifted, engages and disengages the gear 4:4 on shaft 28. The shifter lever 16, pivoted at 4:7 intermediate its length on the bracket 48 on frame, engages the member 42, and is attached at its lower end, as at 49, to the shifter rod 50 vibrated through a lever 51 pivoted intermediate its length at '52 to the casing, and connected at its lower end to a horizontal operating lever 51 mounted on the casing and having a. bandle 55.

The (mei'ation of the described 1necha nism whereby the vibration. of the lever 54 reci n'oeates the shifter bar and shifter lever 113 to reverse the rotation of the roll shafts is well known.

Attached to or integral. with the rod 50 or lever 10 is a rod or bar 57 connected to one leg 58 of the bell crank lever 59 pivoted at 60 to the casing. Pivoted to the other leg 01 of the lever is a vertical rod 62 passing through a guide 63 in the frame and having a right angular extension 6 1 from which extends a portion 65 parallel to the body portion of the rod 62.

Branching off from the portion 65 at an angle thereto is a J-shaped extension 67 best seen in li i s. 4. and 5 which angular extension pa between the spring pressed blocks 12 nd the tracker to rock the same on their p1 st 1" and disengage the contracts thereof ire-m the note sheet.

Referring to Fig. 1 the reference numeral (39 indicates an eleetromagnet, the armature 71 of which ca ries a vertical rod 73 engaging a plate 7 1" pivoted adjacent the drum. On said plate is the beating arm 76 of any percussive instrument, in this instance a bass drum 7?. Attached to the beating arm 76 is an arm 79 which is adapted to engage the cymbals 80 upon each operation of the magnet. The magnet 69 in this instance is of the single action type.

A percussive musical instrument such as a snare drum 81 has a sounding means that consists of a plurality of spring arms 82 actuated by the conventional form of electric buzzer 83.

The members 77 and 81 are auxiliary instruments wherein the vibratory members are drum heads, but obviously the vibratory members may be the plates or bells of a xylophone or other percussive instrument.

Located on the piano casing, preferably adjacent the keys, are two rheostat coils 85 and 86, both operable by a single lever 88 pivoted to the casing and movable simultaneously over the coils. 1 wire 90 extends from the latter to a battery 91, and thence a wire 92 is tapped into a wire 93 connecting the buzzer 83 and the magnet 69. A wire 95 extends from the latter to a relay switch 97, and from this switch is a wire 98 terminating in the rheostat coil 85. A wire 99 extends from the buzzer to the relay switch 100, and thence a wire 101 leads to rheostat coil 86. By virtue of the described circuit or parallel circuits which include the auxiliary musical instruments and the rheostat, the drums may be instantly silenced when the rheostat lever is in extreme left position, or the sound of the instruments will be gradually intensified by swinging the lever 88 to the right to cut out the resistance of the successive coils.

The magnets 1.02 and 103 of the bass drum switch 97 and snare drum switch respcctively are in the following circuits. Leading from a battery 105 to a binding screw 1.06 on the tracker bar a is a wire 107. From the battery eads a wire 108 which forms the coil 109 of the magnet 103 and extends to the screw 22 of the upper contact. Tapped into the wire 108 is a wire 111 forming the coil 112 of magnet 102, and leading to the lower binding screw 22 see Figs. 5, 6, 7

t and 8.

The note sheet 5 passes over rolls 6 and 7 and is provided with two parallel sets of perforations 11 1 and 115 passing beneath each of the contacts 26, whereby it will be seen that as the perforations pass under the contacts, the latter are permitted to contact with the tracker to complete the circuit to either the snare drum or bass drum operating mechanism according to the contact which engages with the tracker.

It will thus be seen from the foregoing that the lower of the contacts 26 controls the sounding of the bass drum and cymbals; and the upper of the contacts; the snare drum; and that by proper positioning of the sets of perforations 114 and 115 the auxiliary instruments may be sounded or caused to sound at any desired place in the music sheet.

Preparatory to the removal of the music sheet the rod 50 is shifted to the left by the manipulation of the operating lever 54. This movement shifts the lever 46 to carry the pinion 4-1 outof engagement with the gear 4 1 and the winding operation discontinues. By the same movement of the rod 50 the beveled end or part 67 of the rod 62 is upwardly moved, forcing the blocks 12 outwardly and their contacts out of engagement with the tracker bar and sheet. llf desired the contacts may be thrown out of engagement by manually grasping the blocks 12. 1

It will be understood that any usual convenient source of electrical power other than batteries may be employed for energizing the circuits.

What is claimed as new is 1.. A self-playing instrument, auxiliary percussive musical instruments, electrically actuated from the first-named instrument, a double rheostat having two coils in different circuits and a single controlling member movable thereover for varying the intensity of sound of the auxiliary instruments.

2. A self-playing musical instrument, auxiliary percussive musical instruments, electrical connections between the two, and a double rheostat having two sets of coils in different circuits with said auxiliar Y instruments, and a lever common to all of said coils and movable thereover simultaneously for varying the power of the auxiliary instruments and for silencing the latter.

3. A self-playing musical instrument, a plurality of percussive musical instruments, electrical connections controlled by part of said self-playing instrument whereby said auxiliary instruments are operated, and a pair of rheostat coils and a lever common thereto for varying the power of the auxiliary instruments.

4-. A self-playing musical instrument, a plurality of independent auxiliary percussive instruments, electric circuits controlled by part of said self-playing instrument, a pair of rheostat coils included therein, and means common to both rheostat coils for controlling the intensity of sound of said auxiliary instruments.

5. A self-playing musical instrument, a plurality of auxiliary percussive instruments, a pair of rheostat coils, electrical circuits controlled by part of said self-playing instrument and including said rheostat coils and auxiliary instruments, and means movable with relation to said rheostat coils for cooperation therewith for silencing said auxiliary instruments and for controlling the volume of sound thereof.

6. A self-playing musical instrument, a plurality of independent auxiliary percussive instruments, electric circuits controlled by part of said self-playing instrument, a pair of rheostat coils included therein, means common to both rheostat coils for controlling the intensity of sound of said auxiliary instruments, and means for energizing said circuit.

7. A self-playing musical instrument, a plurality of auxiliary percussive instruments, a pair of rheostat coils, electrical circuits controlled by part of said self-playing instrument and including said rheostat coils and auxiliary instruments, means movable with relation to said rheostat coils for cooperation therewith for silencing said auxiliary instruments and for controlling the volume of sound thereof, and means for energizing said circuits.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

ALBERT M. STEINERT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 0! Patents,

. Washington, D. G. 

